Dr. Veena Howard, an assistant professor of religious studies at Fresno State, will be a featured presenter for three panels at the 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions Oct. 15-19 in Salt Lake City.
Howard teaches and researches religions of India, Gandhi’s philosophy of asceticism, animal ethics, interfaith interactions among Hindus and Muslims and gender issues in Indian philosophy. She and a panel of religious scholars will present “What Would Gandhi Do? Moral Strategies for Sustainability, Peace and Justice.”
She will also be a featured presenter for the panels “Pope Francis Embraces the Earth: Interreligious Reflections on Sustainability” and “Re-visioning the Animal-Human Relationship: A Communion of Subjects.”
The 2015 Parliament of the World’s Religions is the largest gathering of religious leaders, activists and practitioners from 50 traditions and more than 80 countries. This is the first conference held in the United States since 1993.
The theme for the five-day conference is “Reclaiming the Heart of Our Humanity: Working Together for a World of Compassion, Peace, Justice and Sustainability.”
Prominent speakers for the conference include Dr. Jane Goodall, Dr. Vadana Shiva, Marianne Williamson, Dr. Tariq Ramandan, Rabbi David Sperstein and Clovis native Valerie Kaur. See bios.
The conference is is also the Inaugural Women’s Assembly and Program Initiative for Global Advancement, hosted by the Parliament’s Women’s Task Force. Thousands of women will meet to address women’s dignity and human rights, share best practices for spiritual engagement and leadership and build interfaith networks of support and action.
The conference includes daily religious and spiritual observances, workshops, plenary sessions, and a Golden Banquet featuring the Dalai Lama and Dr. Karen Armstrong on Sunday.
For more information, visit www.parliamentofreligions.org or contact Howard in the Department of Philosophy at 559.278.2621.
(Copy by Erika Denise Castañon, University Communications news assistant.)
